


No Need to Argue

by BobbyZinger



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Blasphemy, Body Dysphoria, Gen, Godstiel - Freeform, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mpreg, all of the trigger warnings are pretty light, crazy!Cas, season 6 AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-15 07:57:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4598901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BobbyZinger/pseuds/BobbyZinger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Cas goes crazy as the new god, he takes stirring the pot to a whole new level. One man in particular draws the short end of the stick, and the world will never be the same for it. </p><p>"What-If?" AU of season 6, where the Leviathans hitch a much longer ride in Cas, making the whole thing... A hell of a lot more insane.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *screams forever* Okay this was a boring assed recap of what actually happened in canon, but I kind of need it. Chapter three should be where things start heating up.

Coming back from their mission was a celebration, and in traditional Winchester way, celebration was found at the bottom of a bottle. They’d defeated Eve, Mother of Monsters, a task that had taken months. Now? Now it was time for a party.

Still, Bobby couldn’t quite get into the same celebrating mood as the boys. Not even in the same drinking mood. His fingers drifted the edge of his glass of whiskey, round and round again as he thought.

The circumstances of their win were…Just plain odd. Not as much the part about defeating eve- Sean was smarter than they ever gave him credit for (in their defense, it was hard to give him props when he acted like that), and burning the Mother’s inside right out through him was just as plausible as all the rest if the crazy crap they pulled to save the world. Again…

No, it was the children that bothered Bobby.

Why? Well, there was the ‘dead kids’ aspect of it. That did have a tendency to put a hunter in a foul mood. It was always hard to see kids get involved, no matter how much of a seasoned hunter you were.

The hunter took a sip of his cheap booze, letting it burn its way down his throat. He got it- Demons were beings fond of chaos, for the most part. So demons killing kids, well just chalk that up to a day at work, drink to forget how even good stuff in life so easily went to hell, and move on. And monster infected kids… A lot less common, but not unheard of. Lather, rinse, repeat for that post-hunt drinking and angsting. But put them together? Bobby Singer believed in quite a few things, but coincidence wasn’t one of them.

 

The tumbler clinked as he moved it to another part of the desk, shuffling some papers and things around to get to the book he left behind before leaving for the hunt- Might as well finish the thing, make sure there weren’t going to be any more god-awful cosmic shifts because of their latest escapade.

 

From the kitchen, he heard Dean scoff, sprawled out on his chair with beer in hand. “Bobby, man- First you won’t drink with us, then you’re gonna bury yourself back in a book?”

 

Bobby huffed. “Well pardon me. Lemme just throw on my party hat and not bother thinkin’ about what happens after this.”

 

“Fine, fine.” The older Winchester took a sip of his drink, looking to his brother with a smirk. “Study up so Sammy don’t look smarter than you at your weekly book club meetings.”

 

Sam rolled his eyes, reached across the table and swatted Dean’s arm. “Shut it. Maybe you should just head to bed, Bobby, you deserve some rest.”

 

All he did was grumble in response. If Sam’s concern bothered him, he didn’t show it. Maybe sleeping would help him get it off his mind. After all, the hunt had been an all-night kind of thing. But he knew that what was on his mind wouldn’t bow out so easily- It wouldn’t let him sleep. Workaholic much?

 

Bobby wasn’t without his theories. In fact, maybe having no clue would have bothered him less than what evidence was pointing towards. Because going after those kids, stopping them from spreading through the population like crazy… It seemed like the kind of proactive move the King of Hell would make.

 

Dean and Sam had told him about what Eve had said, commenting that Crowley was still alive, and still torturing alpha monsters in the hopes of digging up dirt on their mother. Killing off those beta-test babies wasn’t that far from it.

 

The hunter grumbled to himself, a break in the silence of the living room. It had been a relief to get Crowley off their backs, having gone from a nuisance to a true thorn in their side. To have him back again…

 

Well, it should have just been impossible, he thought to himself. Cas had burned his bones, after all. How could the little Scottish bastard have possibly weaseled his way out of that one? He’d tested that method himself.

 

Bobby swished his whiskey in his glass, listening to the distant sound of his boys laughing in the background. Maybe he was approaching it from the wrong angle? He let his whiskey slosh to one side. Maybe Crowley hadn’t done anything, but Cas had, and the demon only exploited a mistake. He felt terrible for even entertaining the thought, like Castiel was going to swoop down in all his angelic glory and prove him wrong right then and there. Maybe it would be worth the embarrassment, just to know that Crowley wasn’t back in the saddle, with their names all on his hit list.

 

From the kitchen, Dean called out, voice slightly slurred. “Booobbyyy!” The hunter rolled his eyes as Dean leaned into the doorway to look at him. “We’re outta beer in here. You have any more stashed away somewhere?”

 

Downing the rest of his whiskey, Bobby stood up from his desk. On each side of the table, there was about an even amount of empty bottles, surprisingly enough. As long as Dean wasn’t going to hard on them, he wouldn’t feel bad about giving the kid a few more. “Yeah.” He answered. “Not cleanin’ it up when you hurl yer guts out, though.” He smiled softly at the mumbled thanks that grew distant as he tramped down the basement stairs for the case of cheap beer he’d left on one of his shelves. The darkness wrapped around him, but he didn’t need the light to see. He’d made damned sure of that, prepared for the day when he wouldn’t have the luxury of it. Prepared for anything, he’d like to think.

 

But then, his foot hit something he wasn’t quite sure of. Bobby frowned, and wiggled his foot slightly. The texture reminded him of sawdust, and it made realization dawn on him. What he had stepped in was a pile of dust that was formerly that vampire girl. Lilah? Lenora? He couldn’t remember.

 

As he scraped the deathly dust aside, making a mental note to clean it up in the morning, he reached for a new case of beer and thought about the way Cas had just…ender her on a whim. How morbid it was. How maybe there was a third option.

 

Maybe what Cas did, he did on purpose


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long... Ugh... This one is going to be a bit more of a recap chapter, but some of the details are altered, which will all come about later in the fix. And next chapter is huge for the story. And my laptop is still busted, so I'm doing all this on my phone. Please excuse typos and the lack of formatting.... I swear, I'm literate, really!

She thumbed gently through the books she had stocked the shelf with, and they linger on his titles. Books of darkness and madness, and all those unseen, nasty things humans feared. That didn't exactly tickle her- The idiots of that world she was trapped in had no idea what fear meant. She kind of liked it that way.

Still, he was one of the first to think of going there, H.P. Lovecraft. The first person to go screaming to the world that the doors were out there, in such a way that it was almost believable.

Elle hitched her purse up her shoulder with a sigh. Okay, maybe she was a bit bitter. Bitter that the whole thing had gone wrong, and now someone, well, seemed quite a few someones, were out for her head. Grabbing her suitcase, she made a B-line for the door. She'd have to go find herself a new safe house, she supposed. Although, at that point, the comfort of an actual house may be out.

She growled into the wet, dark air. Going back to living in caves... So much for ditching Purgatory for greener pastures. She mashed the button on her key fob to unlock the doors to her car, haphazardly tossing her bag of belongings on the bench seat in the back.

As she was closing the door, the odd scent of ozone hit her. In the reflection in the car window, a man stood over her, face stony in the darkness, and eyes burning in ethereal hue.

His hands caught her shoulders. For the first time since she had fallen head-first out of Purgatory, Elle screamed.

*******  
In jolting, fleeting seconds of unconscious memory assaulting from every angle, Sam Winchester saw the truth of what he had forgotten, before the dream caught up with his brain, and unreality took hold.

********  
_Bobby made a point of skirting Dean's side as they turned into the dank alley. The kid well and truly looked like he'd sock anything that came near him, and frankly, it was setting all of them on edge. Not that everything hadn't set them on edge, as of late. But Lisa and Ben? That had been hard on Dean. At first, Dean hadn't told him a thing about it. He just glared as Bobby asked what had happened, and stomped off to get a drink. Sam had told him later in quiet mumbles that Lisa and Ben were recovered, but had no recollection of their time with Dean. No how or why was given._

_Bobby stopped in the middle of the alley. Dean and Sam paused close behind._

_"Isn't this where we were supposed to meet her?" Dean asked shortly._

_"Yeah...." Bobby pulled out his phone, flicking through his many contacts. "Lemme try her again."_

_They didn't expect to hear the ring at the other end of the line, so it took them a moment before they moved into action. They stepped forward, looking around cautiously, and..._

_The phone clattered to the hard pavement, and Bobby's body surged forward, dropping to his knees. "Elle...."_

_She was propped up against the wall, eyes out of focus and brow furrowed. "Bobby. You came."_

_The hunter petted her hair back from her pallid face, voice soft. "Yeah, I'm here. Ellie, what happened to you, girl?"_

_A soft groan fell from her lips as her hands fell down to her lap, skittering shakily until she could open her coat. There was a shocking amount of blood seeping through her satin shirt, dyeing her belly red._

_The sight of it jolted Bobby. "Oh, Elle...."_

_"Yeah, they got to me." Her breathe, too, seemed to catch in her throat, and she pressed her hands to the bloody wound. Red welled up around her fingertips. "Th-They've got enough to crack Purgatory wide open."_

_Behind him, he could hear Dean and Sam shuffle and mutter urgently amongst themselves. The hunter looked up at then, and their brows furrowed, their lips twisted up into the kind of grimace you give when sympathy mixes with complete hopelessness._

_He turned back to the injured woman on the ground. "Elle, I need you to tell me how they're going to do it."_

_Elle nodded, a noise of pain passing through her gritted teeth. "V-Virgin blood." She began. "That's a milk run for them." Her eyes began to water. "Blood of a Purgatory native." She cast a glance down to her bloody torso, and for a moment, Bobby could see the fear in her eyes. "I-I got away pretty fast, but I-I think they still got enough." Something that may have been a chuckle, were it not strangled by pain and breathlessness, left the blonde. "And if they need more, they can just follow the trail...." She glanced up at Bobby. "I get now why you warned me about the angel. The demon was pretty easy to ignore, probably the only reason I got away.... But the angel...." Her head thunked back against the brick wall, and her fingers twitched over her belly wound. "The angel got it out of me, and finished the job, too."_

_Bobby's jaw clenched. How could he? He used to be their friend.... The angel was practically one of Bobby's boys. He could feel the stares of Sam and Dean on him, and knew they felt the injustice and rage pouring off of him in waves._

_"What do they do with it, Ellie? How much time do we have to stop it." He added desperately, "Please, I need to know."_

_Elle nodded. "Tommorow." Her breath caught again in her throat. "The moon, the ec-eclipse." She looked up at him, blue eyes filling with tears. "S-Sorry, Bobby. Sorry...."_

_The hunter's voice came out in a whimper as he cupped his former lover's face. "Nononono, Elle, it's okay..."_

_She let out a choked noise, and then her body was still in Bobby's hands._

_"Ellie?" She was gone. Bobby reached out and slid her eyes shut for the final time, and he closed his own as well. Because he wished her could open them and have her not be there- Out of sight, out of mind. Able to shove denial in place of grief and tell himself that maybe she had gotten away._

_But as he opened his eyes, she was still there. And with a flutter of wings, so was Cas._

*********  
One of the oddest things he'd experiences after accepting the absence of his father was how often he felt watched by him.

Stained glass pouring muted colors into the carpet as sunlight streamed through the effigy of Christ couldn't be helping, he supposed. Cas looked up at the faded stained glass window, frowning. He really hated his partner for choosing that of all places to set their base of operations, but it was one of the only places they could find to meet the requirements for both their work, and their spell. The catacombs did provide room for the alphas Crowley had been interrogating.

If Crowley was bothered by treading on hallowed ground, he didn't show it, obvious by his smirk and saunter as he made his way over to Cas. "You're in luck, my fine, feathered friend." He presented a jar of bloods to him. "You get both the first and last taste of our establishment's Purgatory power shake- Half virgin, half monster."

Cas took the jar, frowning. "Thanks..." It wasn't as if he liked Crowley, but he still hated what he was about to do. "There is a matter I'd like to discuss." Castiel stood from his perch on the table. "I'd like to renegotiate our agreement."

Crowley's lips and eyebrows quirked up, but a thin line of worry subtly drew its way across his forehead. "Really?" He questioned. "And what terms do you propose?"

The angel turned to him, stony faced and stoic as he replied. "You get nothing. Not one. Single. Soul."

Crowley's jaw twitched, the smug smirk barely staying on his face. "Can't help noticing, that seems a bit... Unfairly weighted, don't you think?" When Cas showed no signs of budging, Crowley's facade dropped. He growled, pointing an accusing finger at his angelic partner. "Castiel, you wouldn't dare. I brought you this deal. And I already have twenty thousand souls invested in this, which makes it _your_ turn to bend over the desk and earn your keep. Or have you forgotten already?"

Cas glared Crowley down. "I'm neither stupid, nor wicked, Crowley. You're the king of Hell, and there's no way I'm handing that power over to you."

"Even I don't break deals this big. You're making a huge mistake doing this." Crowley's voice was pleading, as it had been when the demon begged him to take the Winchesters out of the equation. Perhaps it should have been a warning.

Nevertheless, Castiel growled out his ultimatum. "You have two choices - You either flee, or die."

*******  
"Because there is no damned point in trying to talk him down, Bobby!"

From the door of the panic room, Bobby heard Dean slam the clip into his gun, much rougher than necessary.

"He cracked Sam like a damned piñata. Last I checked, that makes anyone an enemy, no exceptions!"

The older hunter sighed. "Ain't saying it don't look bad, Dean. What I'm saying is, we shouldn't go in and blow Cas a bunch of new holes. Because we don't know what we're dealing with. We don't know what he's capable of, like, I dunno, evaporating us? So at the very least, we've gotta try talking him down. Even just enough to get his guard down." He unfolded the scrap of paper that Balthazar had given to them. At least when one angel was against you, another was not far behind with a different take on things. As if Balthazar was just chomping at the bit to help them...

Dean sighed and looked at his brother. They'd brought Sam to Bobby's for rest a few hours before, but he still hadn't woken up. Something clawed at Bobby's heart with the nagging whisper that he wouldn't, not without Castiel.

"Dean...." The older hunter sighed. "I know it's hard, but... Clock's run out, boy. We've gotta head, unless we want Dumb and Dumber poppin' Purgatory. We have to put this pity party on hold. Sam'll be here when we get back."

Dean frowned. Evidently, Bobby hadn't been the only one to think, "hopefully". All that seizing, those fits....

But Sam's health would be moot point if the world were to end.

Leaving a note for Sam, should he wake, Bobby and Dean left to do the only thing they could do- Carry on.

******  
He hadn't lost consciousness for long when Crowley had thrown him down the stairs. Bobby somewhat wished he had- Sure, they bounced back from a lot, but it hurt like Hell, and every time it happened, something in the back of his mind reminded the hunter that it could always be the time his body failed him, and his life of injury caught up with him.

As lied thereon the cold stone floor of the old catacombs, Dean a few feet away, Bobby heard everything. Crowley's deep, smoky voice flowing in Latin, intensity building as each word brought him closer to victory. Although, if the angel standing next to him was whom he suspected, Crowley's victory was to be short lived. Cas had said Raphael would put the apocalypse back on track...

Not that they could trust what Cas said, anymore.

The walls of the church catacombs didn't quake. There was no bright lights, no secret, barely there whisper of the truly ancient power they were bringing forth for their own evil doings. With grandeur, the final word of the spell rolled off Crowley's tongue. And yet...

There was just nothing.

A soft hum came from low in Crowley's throat. "Expected more fanfare..." Obviously, he and the demon king were both a little underwhelmed by the performance. With a growl, Raphael showed her displeasure as well.

"Because it didn't work." The angel growled. "We did not gain the souls of Purgatory. Why didn't it work?"

There was a tremble in the earth, and for a moment, Bobby feared the spell had really taken effect for them. But in a split second, Crowley was gone, and with a flutter of wings, so was Raphael.

Bobby got up and hobbled towards Dean, who was stirring, too. Together, they made their slow way up the stairs of the catacombs, into the church.

Another rumble shook the ground as Bobby and Dean dragged themselves into the chapel. Raphael and Crowley stood near the pulpit, and the older hunter's eyes trailed upwards from them as a loud creak caught his attention. The rumbling grew and grew, until the stained glass window above them shattered, the ornate picture of Christ scattering down onto the floor in sharp pieces.

Raphael and Crowley barely looked phased by this. Taken aback though, maybe, as Castiel appeared before them. Something about him seemed.... Different. Was Bobby's scrambled brain messing with him?

"Castiel." Crowley ground out through gritted teeth. "I suppose you'll turn out to be the reason for our spell's failure."

Cas's head cocked up to look at the demon down his nose. "I would be." His voice answered, cool and.... Rather devoid of what it used to hold. Something was wrong, and it sent a shiver down Bobby's spine.

A jar was suddenly in Crowley's hands, much to the demon's evident surprise. "I think, because you were looking for this." Even from across the room, Bobby could see the deep red coating the inside of the jar- It had to be the blood for the spell.

Crowley looked down at it. "Purgatory blood. Which means we were working with...."

"Dog blood." Cas's lips quirked up in what could have been a smirk, it it had reached any other part of him. "Very fitting."

Raphael raised her chin, a familiar look of arrogance across her face. That left little doubt to the hunters that the vessel held that particular angelic adversary. "I'm glad you decided to hand over the blood, Castiel-"

Crowley's agitated huff interrupted his partner. "No, no, no- Game's over." He held up the jar. "This jar's empty." The demon let it fall to the ground, adding to the erratic clumps of broken glass as it shattered. "So I'm betting your spell went better than ours, Feathers?"

Cas closed his eyes, and a light began to seep from him, growing in intensity until it looked as though his borrowed human skin were trying to contain a burning sun. In the back of his mind, as everyone was shielding their eyes from the burning light, Bobby made note that it wasn't blue-white like the angelic grace he'd seen before.

As the light faded, Castiel's hands rose, palms up. A smile graced his lips, but it still just didn't reach the icy blue chips his eyes had become. "They're all inside me. Millions upon millions of souls. Every single one is mine now."

If he felt he could move any of his coiled -tense and aching muscles, Bobby might have remarked on how dirty that came out.

"Sounds sexy." Muttered the demon. Bobby loathed to consider he and Crowley had thought alike on something. "Exit stage: Crowley." In the blink of an eye, the demon was gone.

Leaving his partner Raphael to face Cas alone. And it appeared as though she couldn't do it without fear- She turned to face the angel, and her eyes widened. "Castiel...." She took a step back, and Cas followed it quickly. Her brow furrowed. "You would let the demon go, but not your own brother?"

"Your.... Sheer arrogance offends me, Raphael. That's not how I want my angels. And either way, I have plans for the demon. He has his role to play, as do all things in my creation. You do not. So... You won't be in it." Cas snapped his fingers, and Bobby and Dean both gasped- The proud angel seemed to pop before their eyes, thickened blood spraying over the dusty walls and pulpit. No trace but that was left behind of an angel having stood there.

Turning, Cas looked to the two hunters. If he felt any urgency to do the same to them, he didn't show it. In fact, Cas looked like he had all the time in the world.

Slowly, Dean took a step forward. It took no thought at all from Bobby to put himself at Dean's side as he did. Cas watched quietly.

"Cas...." The younger hunter murmured, at a loss for words.

"I saved you." Stated Cas, blank smile still in place and paired with his steely gaze. "It seems to be a recurring theme, Dean."

"Yeah, Cas. You sure did." Dean's voice was placating, the same one would soothe a stubborn child with.

"Despite everything, your betrayal and your threats..." For a moment, Bobby could have sworn he'd seen a flash in those eyes, ones that looked more befitting a corpse than their friend, as he continued, "And worst of all, your disbelief in me... I saved you."

"Yeah..." Dean frowned. "So let's get you defused now, buddy." He stepped warily closer to the angel.

Cas's eyes tracked the movements. "What do you mean?"

Dean's jaw clenched. "You're full of nuke, Cas- It's too much for you to handle. It's done what we need it to do. So let's put those souls back where they belong."

"They belong with me, Dean." Cas insisted, voice growing slightly more forceful. "They belong to me now."

"Cas... Your head ain't in the right place right now, please..." Pleaded Dean, voice heavy with desperation.

"No. Raphael's followers still live, and they all.... Must be punished. Severely." Cas's hands balled into fists at his sides. "And even then, why would I let this go to waste? Why, when you've begged, prayed, needed me to help, should I do nothing? Has there not been enough negligence to this planet already?"

"Cas, I know things have gone.... Real wrong." Dean stepped closer to the angel. "And trust me, we've both got ours comin'. But please.... You were a part of my family, once. And I don't have much of that these days. I've lost Lisa, lost Ben..." The older Winchester's voice grew quiet, taking on an almost wistful tone as he pleaded, "Cas, don't make me lose you, too."

The angel looked up at Dean, and for a moment, his brows furrowed, and his lips turned down in the thin line of a frown that they could actually recognize. His eyes glanced to Bobby, back to Dean, then looked away. But as quickly as the break in his cold demeanor had come, it was hidden away again. If, for a fleeting second, his eyes had held any life again, it was only for a split second. Dead eyes stared down the worried hunter in front of him once more. "I never belonged. How could I? I am above you."

Movement behind Cas caught Bobby's attention. Sam, body hunched and eyes bloodshot, was hobbling his way towards them from directly behind the angel, shockingly silent. His heart leapt in his throat- Sure, he had wanted to see Sam vertical, but this? This was the last place Sam needed to be!

His massive shoulders dropped, and for a moment, Bobby feared be was going down. But before he could make a move towards him, Sam had scooped up the abandoned angel blade from Raphael off the ground.

If the brutal thrust of the angel blade into Cas's back was anything to go by, Sam had heard everything. And had not liked what he heard.

Amazingly, the only one silent was the assaulted angel. Dean and Bobby both gasped, Dean more so. He must not have seen his brother approaching. Sam grunted with the effort of the violent thrust of the knife, panting as he let go and stumbled backwards.

And Cas, Cas who should have been dead, an empty, dead vessel and a pair of wings burnt into the floor... Well, instead, he reached back, bending his elbow behind him, and pulled the offending blade from his own back. It clattered to the floor, and Bobby looked, bewildered, between the other two hunters. But they had just as little clue as he did.

"How could God have a family?" Castiel continued. He looked over his shoulder at Sam. "That's what I am. God. A better one. Which is why that angel blade will have no effect on me."

Bobby's heart was lodged in his throat. He wanted so badly to deny it. God? But what he had just seen, it didn't really allow him the denial.

"I am your new God. You shall bow down, and profess your love unto me." Cas stated plainly, absolutely no question in his voice. "Or I shall smite you."

Sam and Dean traded disbelieving looks between themselves and Bobby. Surely Cas wasn't really asking that of them? Cas would never ask something like that. It just wasn't Cas!

The realization dawned on the eldest hunter that that, perhaps, was their biggest problem.

They had no clue what they were dealing with. This Cas really might smite them for their disobedience. From what he had said, the angel... Well, God, he supposed, already wasn't too impressed with the three hunters.

Slowly, Bobby lowered to his knees. "Okay." He conceded, voice quiet and small in the silent chapel. He looked up at Cas, wishing he could sound a little more brave, as defiant as he meant it to be, when he asked, "This good? Or ya want the whole forehead-to-the-carpet deal?" His blue eyes slid from Cas to Dean, then his brother. "Boys?" It was a one word plea to obey.

Dean, as usual, looked like he was going to argue. It probably killed him to just give in to something so wrong so easily. But at the pleading tone and the look Bobby gave him, Dean dropped to one knee. Sam moved, albeit shakily, to follow.

"Stop."

They all looked up as Castiel's voice ground out its command. For a moment, Cas appeared to be sad. But anger replaced it before any of the hunters were quite sure they had seen it.

"You fear me." The angel growled. "Not love, not respect. Just fear." His glare pierced through Bobby, the first to drop to his knees. "Get up." He spat.

Though the angel didn't wait to make sure he obeyed, Bobby still scrambled up as quickly as possible. The cold floor was torture on his still aching, beaten body. And to be on his knees for Cas.... Even standing again, shivers and _wrongbaddirtywrong_ feelings continued to creep down his spine.

Cas began pacing in the loose circle they had surrounded him with. "I allow you to live in my kingdom. And yet none of you revere me. Out of all the things you love, hold dear... I am not one of them." A crunch beneath his feet gave Castiel pause. Beneath his shoe was the face of Christ from the stained glass window he had shattered. It almost seemed as though the angel's eyes were locked with the savior's. "I have to make you love mw by whatever means necessary." Cas turned away from them.

But Bobby could have sworn he heard the angel continue to speak, muttering lowly under his breath. Then, Cas stomped his foot down on the glass covered floor, and the three hunters jumped as he bellowed.

"Why did you let them do it?!" His hands clenches into fists, white knuckled, and his eyes were turned towards the sky."You held wrath for sinners, those who betrayed Heaven and your design. But you didn't do anything about it! You burned and burned with your wrath for them, but you were too weak to destroy them!" Cas's shoulders sagged. "Was it why you left? No peace, no escape, not even for the creator..." The angel turned again to face the hunters. " I will not allow them to tear me apart. They shall not live in my kingdom. I will strike them down. But the innocent, they shall be saves." Cas's eyes turned up to bore holes through them, and Bobby shuddered. "I will bring them a savior. Better than he did it, before me. I will allow you to remain with the chosen few." A smoke quirked up the corners of Castiel's lips. "You were once, after all, my favorite pets."

Deep down, Bobby felt a twinge in his gut, deep enough to make him flinch. Cas, the sworn protector of humanity, was turning against them. And not even we just them... All of humanity. How far would he go? How many would die before they could stop him?

Cas's gaze lingered on each of them for a moment or two. "I will see you all again. Soon."

Then, he was gone.

Bobby's eyes went to Dean. On top of being beaten all to Hell, the older Winchester definitely looked shaken by the angel's newfound power. Dean's eyes darted away, and Bobby followed suite.

Dark red blood was the first thing he noticed. Blood was leaking from Sam's nose, dripping down to his lips. Before either of the hunters could comment, Sam's legs seemed to give out. His tall body hit the floor, the palms he splayed beneath himself the only thing holding him up. Blood began seeping out from those, as well, smashed against the scattered stained glass.

Bobby ran to him, and so did Dean. They pulled Sam up by the shoulders, but to his surprise, when Bobby looked up, Dean's gaze wasn't on his brother, but him. The younger hunter looked concerned.

"Do you think... This," He gestured to the bleeding hunter in his arms. "Is Cas?"

"Or the wall breaking down.... Guess that technically falls under the heading of 'Cas'."

Dean grunted. "Just worried if he did something to Sam, right here and now, he mighta done something to you, too."

Bobby hitched the half-lucid Winchester up further onto his shoulder."That would mean you should be worried about yourself too, boy."

Dean huffed. "I feel fine.... As fine as a guy can feel when there's yet another 'end of the world on his shoulders. We can't catch a break, Bobby, not even for a damned second!"

Bobby sighed. "I know, Dean. But let's take this one step at a time. Let's get your brother home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be much better. I'll try not to wait a half a year before posting it :P Thanks for tuning in again!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Make sure you read the tags, as they may change.

Puking was always a great sound to come in the door to.

 

Dean was in the upstairs bathroom, and Bobby could tell as he walked in from the garage that he was losing his lunch. When he heard the door open, Bobby went to Dean.

 

“Hey.” The younger man greeted. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The hunter frowned, concerned.

 

“Gonna be okay, boy?”

 

Dean sighed and his body swayed slightly as he trudged past Bobby. “Yeah, fine… Guess I’m catching a stomach bug.”

 

Bobby followed, frown still in place. The boys didn’t get sick often. It seemed to be one of the few breaks the universe decided to throw the two Winchesters…. “And you’re sure this ain’t got nothing to do with a few nights ago? With Cas?”

 

Dean rolled his eyes as he sat down on Bobby’s couch, content for the time being to rest. There was a first time for everything, after all. “Yeah, Bobby. God is pissed at me, so he gives me a stomach bug. Seriously?”

 

Bobby shrugged. “Hey, yer the one that was worried Cas mighta given Sam a little gift. I don’t believe-“

 

Dean interrupted with a wave of his hand. “Yeah, yeah, in coincidences. Heard it before.”

 

The older man sat down on the couch on the opposite side from him. “You’re lucky I don’t beat up sick people, or I might tan your hide, boy.” Dean remained unintimidated. This was a pretty normal reaction, considering very few of Bobby’s growled out threats were ever executed. Not when it came to his boys.

 

“Really, Bobby. I’m fine. We got bigger fish to fry.” Something nagged at Bobby as he looked over at Dean. He hadn’t been handling his complete inability to combat, or even find Cas. And Dean hadn’t either. Had been rather irritating, in fact. Every time he asked for an update, which was often, the older hunter came that much closer to throwing the nearest piece of lore at the Winchester and telling him to find it himself. Or, alternatively, shove it right up his damned ass.

 

Sam had definitely been his favorite all week. Of course, Sam was unconscious.

 

There was a thump from the room above them, and Bobby sat up straight. Maybe that wasn’t so true anymore.

 

Dean was already on his feet and heading up the stairs. A bit more cautiously, Bobby followed, his hand settling on his holstered pistol. But the only thing that greeted them at the top of the stairs was a sleepy looking Sam.

 

“Sammy.” Murmured Dean. He looked his younger brother up and down- Upon deciding he looked healthy, a gentle smile reserved only for him lit up his face. Bobby mirrored the look, having reached the same assessment as Dean. Not only did Sam look alright, he looked like not much bad had happened to at all, discounting the stitched up hand that hung at his side.

 

“Yeah, hi.” Sam chuckled. “I’m up. Finally. How long was I out?”

 

“All day yesterday, and this morning. It’s 1, now.” Dean pointed out, leaning to the side to give him a glimpse of sunshine that flittered through the window. “But we didn’t expect you to be up and about as soon as your lights were on.”

 

“Thought we’d have to nurse ya back to health, least a little.” Bobby said from behind Dean.

 

Sam looked between the two of them and shrugged. “Got up, felt fine.”

 

“And you feel fine everywhere?” The older Winchester asked, uncertain.

 

“Well, I mean, my hand hurts…” The fingers of his other hand came up to trace his palm, gliding over clean white bandages. “But otherwise? Yeah, I’m fine.” Bobby couldn’t quite believe it. How could Sam just be okay after what had happened to him? Not only had they seen firsthand what breaking the wall between him and his memories had done…. But when they had considered putting Sam’s soul back without the wall, the consequences ran somewhere along the lines of dying or comas. How has Sam really walked away without a scratch?

 

Dean didn’t seem to consider it quite as thoroughly. Or if he did, he’d suddenly become an optimist, of all things. Walking over to his brother, he patted him on the back. “Well that’s something.”

 

“I don’t remember much, though.” Sam pointed out. “Between passing out in the alley, and waking up here… It’s kind of fuzzy.”

 

Dean nodded. Hand still on Sam’s back, he led him towards the stairs. “Okay. C’mon, we’ll debrief you downstairs.”

***

It really was a nice campground, if you ignored the occultist towards the western edge.

 

Middle aged couples in summer clothes strolled by occasionally, walking dogs or chasing after children. And they all cast suspicious glares at the ‘Satanist’ trailer as they walked by.

 

Of course, Crowley was no congregant to Lucifer, nor were many of the sigils that sheathed the outside of his run down trailer even Judeo-Christian in origin. The demon had been holed up in his little hovel ever since he’d finished the top-to-bottom constellations of wardings, much to his disdain.

 

It was only a matter of time before Cas would find Crowley, despite his best efforts. Crowley was well aware of it.

 

Crowley tried to stop himself from jumping when the angel’s voice came from behind him. But Cas wasn’t there to kill him, the angel had explained that much. No, Cas hadn’t been lying when he said he has plans for Crowley. He’d explained that both Hell, and it’s leader would remain. Crowley was also tasked with checking up on the Winchesters and Bobby from time to time.

 

Crowley frowned. “And why do you want me checking up on them? In case you haven’t noticed, I’m their enemy, too.”

 

Cas seemed to frown at that, but he continued. “They are in possession of something of mine. Something that need to be monitored often.”

 

“Going to get more specific with that, or…?” Cas’s glare made the demon trail off. “Right. Okay. Check up on the three muskateers. I’ll add it to my to do list.” He frowned as he looked up at Cas’s face. Had that mark been there before? To his surprise, more started appearing right before his eyes. They were bright red little blisters, quickly beginning to for the skin of his face and neck. They must have hurt, for the angel doubled over in front of him, groaning. “This can’t be good… Castiel?”

 

Cas pulled himself up and hobbled towards Crowley. Two hands fisted in his shirt. The demon gasped and tried to backpedal when, suddenly, those hands were ripping open the buttons.

 

“W-What in Hell’s name- What do you think you’re doing?!” The demon felt a lump forming in his throat as Castiel shoved him back against the wall. How could he defend himself from a god? Whatever Cas wanted, he was likely to get. And Crowley had no idea what it was that he wanted.

 

Cas looked Crowley up and down. “Where is it?” His hands gripped Crowley’s shoulders, and he spun the demon around. There, he found what he was looking for. Off to one side on Crowley’s back, a sigil was painted. Crowley gasped as Cas’s finger traced the sigil, muttering ancient words to an incantation. The skin he touched began to burn, and the demon struggled. That sigil was the only form of power he had! When he’d been forced to flee his kingdom, he’d bound as many souls as he could carry to his vessel. And now, Castiel was trying to take the only power he had left.

The struggle was pointless. Cas’s spell came to an end, fingers back where they started on Crowley’s skin. A scream tore from the demon as the souls, every ounce of power he had left, was taken from him. Black smoke swirled through the air around them, making the entire trailer shake. Cas opened his hands, and the souls swarmed him. They seemed to flow into him, through the skin of him. As the tidal wave of souls began to ebb, Crowley’s pain turned to exhaustion.

 

Castiel stepped away from him, and he fell to the floor with a grunt.

 

Cas’s foorsteps shuffled around the demon, then suddenly, he was rolled over onto his back. The souls must have allowed the angel to heal. Where there had been quickly growing sores and blisters, there was now clear skin. Cas looked down at him, regarding him coolly. “I will see you again, Crowley. Do not allow the Winchester’s to go unchecked.”

 

He vanished, leaving the demon to pick himself off the floor. All while wondering just how much worse it could get.

 

***

 

Sam had pulled out his laptop as soon as he had gotten to the living room. Dean and Bobby gave him the low down as he sat and opened it. When they told him what had happened, Sam immediately set to work looking for signs of a new, rogue God.

 

And it didn’t take long to find a lead, either. “Hey, guys.” Sam called out.

 

Bobby poked his head out of the doorway of the kitchen. Sam beckoned him forward. “Come check this out.”

 

Bobby managed to drag Dean away, and they gathered around Sam’s laptop. On the screen, a news site was pulled up. “This is just coming up. Live feed reporting on… The surprise death of a pastor in Minnesota. Just… Watch this.” Sam clicked the play button.

 

On the screen, a young woman stood, talking to the camera. Policemen and civilians milled about behind her.

 

_“Pastor MacDonald was a pillar of the community. No one questioned him. But the things that man said… There had already been people talking… Cheating on his marriage, even with other members of the congregations. The man… Claimed that the pastor was going against his vows to him. That he was God. He didn’t have robed or a beard. He had a raincoat… Dark hair and blue eyes.”_

 

The video cut off, changing to a news anchor, sitting behind her desk. _“An investigation is still underway for the suspicious death of the Minnesota pastor. In other news, astronomers are baffled by the apparent appearance of a star, never before seen in the sky-“_

 

Sam paused the video. “Sorry. Live feed.” He looked up at Bobby and Dean, deep lines of a frown spreading across his face. “This can’t be good.”

 

“No shit, Sammy.” Huffed Dean.

 

“We gotta stop Cas… If he starts down this raod, God knows where he’s going to stop.” Sam said.

 

Dean’s lips quirked up in a sheepish smile as he laughed. “Well I mean, God wouldn’t really know in that case, cuz Cas is-“

 

“Yes. We get it, Dean.” Bobby interceded.

 

“Please shut up.” Sam huffed as well.

 

“What we need to do is hunt him.” The eldest hunter pointed out. “But it’s not as if we know how…”

 

Sam craned his neck to look at him. “Well, I’ve got an idea.” He directed his gaze towards Dean. “Maybe there’s something in that angel arsenal that Balthazar stole? Something that can put Cas outta business?”

 

Dean sighed and shook his head. “Naw… I don’t even know if Balthazard lived through this.”

 

“Dude, we have to try.” Sam countered.

 

Dean shuffled and looked away. “…Already tried summoning him. While you were out. Didn’t answer the call, so… ‘Outlook not so good’. Besides, there wouldn’t be anything, anyways.”

 

Sam frowned. Why would Dean be shooting down his every idea? He opened his mouth the question him, but Dean beat him to it.

 

He added, “Although there may be someone…”

 

The other two men look surprised. “What? Who?” Sam asked.

 

“When I talked to Death, he said that someday, he’d reap God. Good thing we didn’t skip the small talk when I met him… Cas is God now, right?”

 

Bobby scoffed. “Yeah… So let’s just ask Death a favor…”

 

“We bind him.” Sam said suddenly, connecting the pieces together.

 

Dean grinned at his brother. “Exactly.”

 

Bobby’s eyes darted between them, looking at the brothers as if they had sprouted rabbit ears. “Oh, so instead of asking a horseman, we’re gonna make ‘em do it. You two…”

 

“Hey, unless you got a plan B, Bobby…” Sam pointed out.

 

The older hunter sighed and ran a hand over his face. “Okay, but Plan A’s gotta be more than half baked, thank you very much. Where’s the spell for this binding found at?”

 

Dean’s face dropped into a frown. “Oh…. Didn’t think of that.” He looked to Sam for answers, but he had returned his attention back to his laptop. “Um… It was a demon kinda thing when Lucifer brought the guy around for the house party… Demons escorted the horsemen around…”

 

Bobby sighed. “And who’s the highest powered demon we know?” He got up without waiting for an answer- From the sour look on Dean’s face, he knew full well who he was referring to. “I’ll go mix up the stuff to summon Crowley.”

 

Sam got up after a few moments to assist. He walked down the basement steps, frowning. His head was beginning to hurt… So much for feeling good and well rested.

 

The hunter shuffled to a drawer, trying to think of what all ingredients needed for the spell were kept in the basement. Silver powder, bone ash…

 

Suddenly, Sam could feel a prickle in his skin, practically down to the bone. Something was very wrong, his instincts were telling him.

 

He could usually believe his instincts, but he couldn’t believe his eyes when he turned to see what was wrong. Sam wasn’t in Bobby’s basement anymore. The room wasn’t right. The smell on rancid flesh assaulted him. His heart rose in his throat, eyes darting back and forth to meat hooks that hung from the ceiling. Pieces of flesh torn from bodies hung from the, a few scattered with strings of blood hair. His head felt like it was being stabbed into. It was his hair, his flesh.

 

He was in Hell.

 

Sam gasped, back slamming into the table. He couldn’t be. He wasn’t there. He wasn’t supposed to remember.

 

A voice calling his name cut through the pounding of his heart in his ears. “Sam?”

 

Sam looked up as Bobby came down the stairs. Bobby… was looking for him. Bobby was looking for him, down in his basement, which was fine. He was fine.

 

Sam looked up at him, body still tense. Bobby stared back at him, confused. “Wh-what?”

 

For a moment, Bobby didn’t answer. Then he asked, “You, uh, getting the stuff from in there for me, kiddo?”

 

A few deep breaths had to pass Sam’s lips before he could manage a reply. “Uh… Yeah.” Sam fumbled for the drawer behind him. “Bu up in a minute.”

 

When he caught his breath and made his way up the stairs, everything else was ready for the spell. Dean, Sam, and Bobby gathered around and watched the blend go up in smoke. In a moment or two, Crowley was in front of them… On the floor?

 

The three hunters were a little too bewildered to act, at first. How had such an appearance-oriented demon managed to make a face-first landing on their floor? Crowley groaned, and Bobby decided to make the first move. He took his gun out and set it on the desk- No need to fall for a play and deliver a weapon straight into the devil’s trap.

 

But Crowley made no moves as Bobby stepped into the circle and hauled him up.

 

“The hell happened to you?” He asked, eyes roaming down the body he supported. There didn’t outwardly appear to be any wounds to weaken the demon so.

 

Crowley’s head lolled against Bobby’s shoulder for a moment, before he managed to life it. “Castiel.”

 

Sam frowned from outside the trap. “Cas is still gunning for you?” The demon sighed. “No, he figured letting me live on a Mexican beach in a shack with an assumed name was punishment enough for my crimes. Of course he’s still out for me, you fool. If by ‘out for me’, you mean already got to me, and promptly made me his bitch.” Crowley looked around at the three of them, not even managing to muster a proper glare at the hunters. “Which probably means he’s well aware that I’m here with you lot. I shouldn’t be.”

 

“Does that mean I should drop ya?” Countered Bobby.

 

“Please don’t make me acknowledge the fact that you’re helping me. I already have very little dignity left for myself.” The demon huffed.

 

Bobby did slide a few steps away, still holding onto Crowley’s shoulders. The demon managed to stay vertical.

 

“Seriously, though… Why’d Cas let you live?” Dean asked with a frown. “Why didn’t he just smite the crap out of your limey ass?”

 

A chair was dragged into the devil’s trap, and Crowley flopped down into it with a grunt. “I’m not without my tasks, Squirrel. On top of maintaining the status quo in Hell so Cassy has a corner to send his naughtiest into, I’ve been tasked with keeping an eye on you and yours.”

 

Dean and Sam both seemed to deflate.

 

“Great.” The older brother sighed. “How willing are you to plot against him?”

 

“Depends how foolproof the plan was. But then, were it foolproof, you two wouldn’t be able to touch it, now would you?” Muttered Crowley, dry and scathing.

 

Dean ignored his quip, getting straight down to brass tax. “Binding Death.”

 

Crowley’s eyes widened. “Bind…? Enslave Death? Dean, please, work on a little subtlety in your jokes.”

 

“Dead serious.” The hunter countered.

 

“You’re bloody crazy.” Growled the demon. “The only thing you’ll get out of this is those two, mashing us like peas. Why should I help?”

 

“You think Cas will go much longer without deciding we’ve done something wrong? He’s out of his fucking mind!” Dean glared down at the floor for a moment, obviously bothered by his own statement. “…So we might as well just take the chance we have to… To get rid of Cas.”

 

For a moment, Crowley just sat there. His eyes drifted around the room, and each second left the tree hunters more and more anxious. “Bloody dramatic.” He finally sighed. Then he threw his hands up. “Fine! I’ll give you the spell. But I can’t help you actually do it.”

 

“Crowley!” Dean protested.

 

The demon cut him off with a hand out to his face. “I’ve been made powerless. This isn’t a choice. Luckily, I can give you the spell, at least- Which, by the way, you’ll need to let me out of this blasted net for. But I can’t be of much help gathering ingredients. And like Hell will I be here when the man of the hour makes his appearance.”

 

“How long will it take to get all these ingredients in place without ya?” Asked Bobby. As he waited for his answer, he reached for a knife on the table and scraped away part of the devil’s trap.

 

Crowley seemed distracted by watching the hunter, obviously pretty eager to be free. Sam and Dean stiffened waiting for him to lunge or strike out or disappear, but Crowley just leaned back in his chair. “Doubt you’ve even heard of some of them. But, despite that, shouldn’t take more than a week to gather it all up.”

 

Sam frowned. “Not sure we have that kinda time…”

 

“What’s that mean?” Asked Dean.

 

“Took a minute to check for any more signs of Cas while we were setting up. The body count rose up to a possible 14, just in that hour.”

 

Dean’s eyes widened, and the hunter threw up his hands. “And you decided not to speak up because…?”

 

“Because I didn’t know if Crowley could even get you what you needed,” The demon in question looked mildly offended. “And I didn’t wanna risk you going off and taking drastic measures.”

 

“Thanks for the concern, Sammy- Not that it’s need, or wanted.” The older Winchester crossed his arms. “So what do you propose we do to get the ball rolling a little quicker, big guy?”

 

“Well, we tried demons for help… Maybe we should put an open call out to any angels.”

 

Bobby frowned. “Think any of them will be willing to go against him? Pretty sure puttin’ the fear of… Well, him in them was the first thing on his to do list.”

 

A fifth, less familiar voice came from behind them, cool and composed, even as three hunters immediately drew their weapons. “That won’t be necessary. Some of us aren’t so easily intimidated.”

 

Balthazar was the only one of them that had gotten away from Castiel unscathed, Dean noticed as he lowered his gun. He put his trigger finger at rest.

 

“We thought maybe you hadn’t made it.” Sam muttered.

 

“Hello to you boys, too.” Balthazar sauntered forward, eyes seeming to linger on Crowley, still sat in his chair. “No, unlike you people, I was smart enough to avoid Cassie. But that won’t be an option for much longer.”

 

“So whn Dean summoned you… What, you just ignored it?”

 

The angel’s eyes trailed up towards the ceiling, and if everyone in the room wasn’t well aware that he had no shame, he may have looked sheepish. “Well, didn’t ignore it, per say… I can’t. I just put myself in a place where I couldn’t get out, so no summoning. Prison for my own protection, sort of.” He waved a hand dismissively. “Story for another day. For now… Tell me what I can do, I suppose.”

 

Dean glared him down and muttered, “You mean besides go fu-“

 

A hand thumping against his chest interrupted him. “Dean.” Huffed Sam. His brother dropped his comment at his chiding. “We haven’t gotten quite that far yet. Crowley?”

 

Seeing he could no longer get away with his quiet observing, Crowley stood from his seat, looking agitated at the amount of effort just that took. “Right. I’ll go scrounge up a pen and paper from this mess and jot it all down for you.”

 

Dean’s brow quirked up, looking disbelieving. “You just… Remember the spell to bind Death… Off the top of your head?”

 

“Yes.” No more elaboration was given as Crowley walked to Bobby’s desk and started poking around. The eldest hunter was quick to find him what he needed and sit him far away from his work. The demon snatched up Bobby’s bottle of booze as he was herded off. Any port in a storm, apparently. “I’d offer you some, but I don’t think it would be good, considering your condition.” He poured a finger into a clean tumbler and made a face before he could even lift it to his mouth. “A fulgerite should be the hardest thing to find.” Crowley looked up at Balthazar. “Think you can swing that, angel face?”

 

Expressions warred on Balthazar’s face for a moment, amusement and upset, and a few things in between, before his lips settled into a smirk. “Easily. And I know your last angel boyfriend likes the pet names, but I can do without, sweetie.”

 

Crowley returned the amused look, thought the angel had already flown off. “Not bad for an angel.” The demon dared a glimpse up at Dean and muttered. “Suppose the bar’s set pretty low.” Crowley got to work on giving them the spell.

 

***

 

“It looks like you’ve bound me, Dean.”

 

They had done it. There, standing in Bobby’s study, was the horseman himself. Death.

 

He regarded the three hunters with cool disdain. It was pretty easy to see why neither Crowley, nor Balthazar wanted to be here for it. Intimidating was an understatement. Dean finally found the nerve to speak.

 

“For good reason, I swear.”

 

“You think.” Countered Death

 

. Bobby and Sam stood a good distance away from Dean, who slowly approached the horseman. He was the only on who’d ever had experience with Death (the horseman, anyways), and despite the fact he had Death bound to him, they were all a little on edge. So the other two hunters happily let Dean do the talking.

 

Or at least, they had planned to. As soon as Dean opened his mouth, he was cut off. “I suppose this will be about the wall I gave your brother, or the Nephilim inside your friend. Neither of which I’m inclined to assist with.”

 

Bobby thought for sure he hadn’t heard that right. Nephilim?

 

“Whoa, whoa, wait. Uh, Nephilim? Like, angel baby?” Dean looked over to him, squinting as if he could look into the older hunter like that. Bobby frowned. He didn’t feel possessed. Surely, he of all people would notice some kind of monster slipping in!

 

“I never gave nothin’ permission to ride around in my body.” Bobby pointed out.

 

“I didn’t even know Nephilim could inhabit someone. Or, y’know… That they were real.” Said Dean.

 

“All of that is of no bearing. Because they don’t need permission to incubate.”

 

There was a split second of silence, then Dean was laughing, a strained, hysterical sound in Bobby’s ears. He certainly didn’t feel like laughing.

 

“Incubate? You monsters have a terrible sense of humor.” Death glared him down, and Dean’s smile faltered slightly. “What? You actually expect me to believe that… That Bobby’s pregnant? With some half angel freak baby?”

 

“Oh God…” Bobby was suddenly reliving a crystal clear memory. That twinge in his stomach… It had seemed so small and inconsequential at the time… But now that he had the pieces to put together… They fit. Dear God, even Dean had seemed to recognize that Cas had done something to him.

 

“Your angel friend is the one with the bad humor. He’s the one who created the thing there.”

 

“…Cas… Got him pregnant. Without touching him.” A dumbfounded Sam muttered, looking stunned. At least he could manage a sentence- Bobby was still staring at the floor, silent. He felt his heart would leap straight out of his throat, where it beat, if he dared open his mouth.

 

Death scoffed. “I would hardly call it that. A mockery. If that thing is allowed to live much longer inside Mr. Singer, he’ll end up dying.”

 

Two voices echoed each other at once, “No he won’t.”

 

Bobby had to swallow rage, and fear, and god, so many mixed up, overwhelming emotions as Castiel stepped in the room. He wanted to run to the angel and start throwing punches. He’d never been a man of rage, yet here he was, burning with it, seething. But he couldn’t even bring himself to meet Cas’s eyes, at the same time.

 

“You fucking _dick_!” Dean spat out.

 

But Cas didn’t seem to regard him at all. He stared down Death and said, “Bobby and the child will both be healthy. I intend to keep my promise to bring a savior to this world.” Bobby couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How could Cas really believe that?

 

“You must assume you’ll be around to heal his body whenever something goes wrong with it.” Death pointed out. “But you won’t be here that long. Not with the seams already bursting again on this patch job for your vessel. You can’t fix what these things are breaking in you.”

 

“The souls give me power. They only harm me because I allow them to. When I am less preoccupied, I will reign them in.” Growled Cas. “You know the souls aren’t what I’m referring to.”

 

The horseman looked down his nose at the angel. “It doesn’t matter how fast you get through throwing your temper tantrum, you _won’t_ heal yourself, therefore you _won’t_ heal the nephilim’s host.”

 

Cas’s chest puffed out, shoulders squared, and he stepped forward until he was close to Death. “I am not being petty. I’m cleaning up on mess after another, making a better world for this child. And in turn, the child will make a better world.”

 

Death rolled his eyes. “Of course you would think that.”

 

Beside Bobby, Sam’s breath hitched. “You son of a bitch. You don’t get to hijack someone’s body against their will and call it fatherhood.”

 

Cas strode over to him next, invading his personal space with a glare. “I’ve given him a gift. He’ll beget the next Messiah.”

 

A few steps to the side brought the angel in front of Bobby, and the hunter’s blood ran cold as ice. He saw Cas’s hand reach out for him, but he still jolted when the angel actually touched him. Cas’s palm lay flat against his chest, and a thrumming sort of energy emanated from it.

 

Something similar pulsed away between his hips, proof that he couldn’t deny. But it didn’t come from Cas. It came from him. And it made him want to be sick.

 

“Already, the child is connected to you. Growing from what you give it. And you are giving to it. Soon, you’ll come to accept this.” Said Cas. His voice was still so arrogant. So sickeningly sure of himself, and how could he, how could any part of this seem right to him-

 

“And I will kill anyone who endangers the Messiah. I had hoped hurting Bobby would be enough of a deterrent for you. But let it be known- Moving against the child is moving against me, and I will kill you.”

 

Dean’s fists flexed at his sides. “Yeah? Good luck with that.”

 

“I have no qualms now about damning you back to Hell if you-“

 

“You can’t kill us. Not when we got Death on a leash. And we’re gonna kill you first.” Dean squared his shoulders and growled. “Death, kill him, now!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is definitely the chapter where I lose some readers. I know, I know- mpreg. But that's exactly why I didn't put it on there until it was relevant. I didn't want people to pigeonhole it, because it won't be your typical mpreg fic- It's gonna have body horror and the happy ending is well and truly up in the air.
> 
> Otherwise... Ugh, just not too impressed with this. But at least it's out?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ugggh. That is all. I really need a laptop, writing on my phone is murder.

_Then_

"I have no qualms now about damning you back to Hell if you-"

"You can't kill us. Not when we got Death on a leash. And we're gonna kill you first." Dean squared his shoulders. "Death, kill him now!"

_Now_

He wondered if he would ever get to leap to action again.

Bobby watched the tense, silent scene with bated breath. He wanted desperately to do something. He'd already had his fill of standing around, too scared of Cas to make a move. But it wasn't as if he could hurt Cas on his own... So, despite the gravity of the situation, he found his mind drifting slightly.

What happened after? If Cas was killed by Death's hand, did his... new affliction die with him? Or did it keep growing, with the only person who knew how to handle it gone? His last chance to actually do something, maybe... And all he could do was stand.

Bobby bit back words trying to escape him as Death raised a hand behind the angel. No. It didn't matter if the Nephilim's demise led to his own. It was about the bigger picture, this time.

Cas stared down Dean. On his face, there was a look close to disappointment. But there was something so much more... Hurt about it. But then, if Cas wanted to get upset over betrayal... Well, it would be only a hint of what they were feeling.

Death's hand came close. Cas's raised, too. Then, there was a snap, the tinkling sound of glass being shattered, and the gossamer binds of magic around the horseman's wrists were gone by the angel's hands.

Death did little but quirk an eyebrow. "Thank you." He folded his hands neatly in front of him.

There were so many emotions running through the  eldest hunter at once, he couldn't tell which had come first, which belonged at the forefront- Was he really so disheartened, or was he upset because of the sense of relief he found in himself?

Dean looked between the two, nervously.

"Still in the ring for a fight?" Death asked Cas. The angel glared at him over his shoulder. He seemed to simply take it as a no, for he sauntered away, over to Bobby's desk to sit in his seat.

Cas turned, focusing his glare on Bobby and Sam. It was an akin feeling to swatting at a bee, only to realize you've made it more angry.

If bees were gods, much more powerful than anything that was daring to try to swat it down, that is... If only it had hit them an hour ago, instead of just now, just how bad an idea this was.

"You will see me again. Think hard on what you do until then." Castiel warned them.

Dean looked pained as he stood, rooted to the spot. He wanted to call out to Cas... But how could they when it was plan B, after killing him had failed?

Cas just flew away again, leaving the three hunters reeling.

From his chair, Death idly commented, "This doesn't seem good for you."

Dean looked down at him, face twisted into an awkward grimace. Words caught in his mouth that he couldn't say. Death had already made it clear that he wasn't about to do them any favors.

Still, he had to ask.

Apparently, the horseman was of the same mind. The second Dean opened his mouth, Death ground out, "Shut up, Dean."

They fell into silence again.

"I had given you warning long in advanced for what that angel would do. Yet, here we are, with this little planet on the verge of immolation."

Dean huffed. "Yeah, I get that. You wanna run over a list of what else I've fucked up, or you wanna give us a solution?"

"I'll say again- Not. Particularly. _Inclined."_

Dean's jaw clenched. Sam stepped in.

"Wait... You realize it's not just us? The entire world draws the short straw if Castiel continues to on like this. You must have to care about that a little...?" The younger man said.

"I really don't. But I do happen to find that little angel arrogant." Death returned.

Dean nodded vigorously. "Hey, yeah- Let's go with that." He nodded again, silently beseeching Death to continue.

"Your only chance is to get him to return it all to Purgatory. As quickly as possible." 

Sam frowned. "But even if he wanted to... We'd need a door to return them through." He pointed out quietly.

" Then make one." Death looked between Sam and Dean. "Anything that can be done once can be duplicated."

"And I'm supposed to duplicate an eclipse... How?" The older brother huffed.

"Mind your tone, Dean." The hunter flinched as he was coolly stared down by Death. "I'll take care of that part." His hand slid into his pocket. From it, he produced an old looking brass coin, which he tossed to Dean. "When you have everything you need, take it, let blood fall on it. I'll get the message." He stood up, approaching the middle of the room. He turned, and fixed his indifferent stare at Dean. "It only works the once. So get it right the _first time."_

He turned, and Dean, looking up from the coin, realized he intended to leave. "Wait, what do we do-"

But Death was gone.

Dean's hands fell to his sides. " _....About Bobby..."_

He looked over to the older hunter, but on the other side of him, Sam couldn't bring himself to lay eyes on him. At the very least, he didn't look like he was breaking down...

Bobby had been quiet and mostly still the whole time. But now, he moved- He trudged behind his desk and sat in his chair.

"Guessin' any type of monster could be a Purgatory 'native'. Problem is figurin' out which ones ain't from around these parts." He flipped a page in a book on the desk. "Maybe we start with monsters that actually give bir-..."

Sam bit his lip and looked at his brother.

"Bobby..." Dean murmured.

He didn't answer. Quietly, the eldest hunter stood, sweeping all the books cluttering the desk into his arms. He straightened them out and walked over to a book shelf. He passed Sam and Dean both, but he didn't look at either of them. He kept his eyes to the floor.

Dean shuffled in his spot. "Bobby... Seriously"

The hunter's hands hit the shelf, hard enough to make the dusty wood rattle. "Seriously _what? I am working. On a solution."_

" Except there is no solution to your problem." Countered Sam.

Dean had the good graces to look shocked, eyes  widening at his brother. " Don't... Don't sugar coat it, Sam. Jesus...."

"Okay, but... That's probably what it feels like, to you. And you can't just shove that down and pretend it isn't happening."

"Screw you, I can't." Bobby snarled. "And I'm not gonna let you stay if you keep pushin' it." A few books were jerked off the shelf, and he stomped back to his desk, slamming them down. He planted himself in front of them, and his body seemed to melt into the chair, shoulders sagging, chin practically on his chest. His hat covered his eyes, and if Dean or Sam thought it was on purpose, neither called any attention to it.

The last thing they needed was to be kicked out of the only semi-safe place they had, so Sam and Dean each got to work. Dean with a book, and Sam with his laptop, started searching for anything that could help them reopen the door to Purgatory.

But it wasn't an easy task. They hadn't been the ones to seek it out before. So now, they had no clue where to be looking. It wasn't as if monsters had been  forthcoming about their origins, in their experience. It left the two brothers a lot of time to sneak glances at their forlorn friend. They were quick and careful, fearing Bobby's wrath for wasting time, but Bobby never looked up from his book.

It was nearly an hour of fruitless research and silence before someone finally spoke up. Bobby closed his book, then his hands came up to rub his face.

"Alright, you two take a breather... Get yourself some grub or booze or somethin'... I gotta make a few calls. Hopefully, when you get back, I'll have something more specific for each of you two to pick apart."

Dean looked like he wanted to argue, but Sam got the message. The brunette stood from the couch.

"Okay Bobby. Need anything?" Said Sam.

Bobby rubbed his face. "A drink..." He said quietly. There was a bottle of Jack on his desk, as per usual. A clean glass, too. But both remained empty.

"...Right." Sam motioned subtly for his brother to follow him. "We'll be back in a bit... Take it easy, Bobby."  
~ ~ ~  
He summoned Crowley again. He could have sworn the demon appeared before the last word of the incantation was out of his mouth, but then, he wasn't exactly thinking straight.

Crowley sighed long-sufferingly as he stood in front of Bobby. "Bloody Hell, remind me to just give you my number... How did the meeting with the all knowing, all seeing bird brain go? I see this shanty is still standing..."

"Cas is still kicking." Bobby answered. He stepped out from behind his desk, and his jaw tightened. "...You knew... You said... 'My condition'..."

Crowley stared at him for a minute, before it seemed to hit him. His eyes went wide, and his mouth opened. But for once, Crowley struggled to find words. "Mother of sin, you didn't know... You didn't know the angel put a bun in your oven?"

"No."

Crowley let out a huff. "And I really didn't think he could do any worse." A smirk replaced the look of anger. "It must have been a very boring conception if you weren't even aware it was happening at the time. What, Feathers didn't have any signature moves that left an impression?"

"He didn't have any moves at all." The hunter huffed. "I barely even noticed anything happening, and I for sure didn't know what it was until the horseman told me." Bobby frowned. "Wait a minute... How did you know about it?"

Crowley walked over to the desk, straightening the crease of his suit pants with a flick of his wrist. Bobby looked him up and down idly. "I can feel it. It's the most power I've ever felt in one place... More than the cambæn..." Crowley leaned over the desk with a focused gaze, trained souly on Bobby, as if he could stare through him. Bobby felt himself recoiling. "And yet, it's only the size of a dewdrop. Imagine that."

"Rather not, thanks." The hunter growled. He looked away, forcing himself to relax in his chair, to look like none of this bothered him. "What's going to happen to me, Crowley?" He wanted to look the demon in the eye, to save face, but he couldn't bring himself to. If the demon wasn't taking pleasure in his predicament, smug smirk spread across his face.... Bobby didn't think he could accept the possibility of the demon pitying him. Few times in his life had he ever been quite that low.

"There's a good chance you'll die." Crowley said. "I don't quite keep up, but I don't think modern medicine has found a way to keep men alive through the incubation of five to ten pounds of parasite. Of course, they don't have angels in their ranks. Assuming the massive trauma your unfit bag of flesh would incur could be nipped in the bud by Cas's healing powers... You may have to live with a worse reality. You, Bobby Singer, may have a child."

The hunter scoffed. "You really think-"

"Do you really think that Castiel would do this, if it were destined to fail?" Crowley interrupted.

"Well he is crazy."

Crowley made a questioning noise, a long, plaintive 'hmm', before he said, "He's very much bonkers, yes. But we tend to dismiss crazy people because they have no grasp on reality... And that doesn't really matter to a man who can practically change it, now does it?"

"...Oh god." Bobby's breath started shortening, and he put his head down on the desk. The reality of the situation was really starting to sink in. To die from Cas's insane plot would be tragic... But at least he wouldn't have to live it out in gruesome detail. 

"Breathe, Robert. You're turning blue." Said Crowley, voice sounding far off. The hunter took in a deep breath. He hadn't realized how much his lungs had began to burn. "I wouldn't think you would have such an adverse reaction. You do, after all, love misfit children, don't you?"

"You don't know me from a hole in the damned wall." Bobby growled. 

Crowley raised a hand placatingly. "True. Lucky me."

The hunter sighed. It just didn't feel worth it to keep trading insults with the demon. He didn't have the energy. "...So what do I do?" He finally dared a glance up at his guest, just in time to see Crowley rolling his eyes. "You pick the lesser of two evils, obviously. If you'd rather die than have Castiel running our little planet, you kill him, somehow. If you're rather attached to the mortal coil... Well, I know you and your boys still won't settle for letting Cas run things. So... Find Cassie a good psychiatrist? And be prepared to maybe pop out a squalling child if it doesn't go fast enough."

"If it even matters what I try." Bobby murmured. "...Cas may just decide to lock me up instead of letting me cause trouble."

Crowley was silent for a moment. He looked rather surprised. "Would you really ever let that stop you?"

"The boys might be safer if I did... Speakin' of, you might wanna get goin'. I sent 'em away, but I'm not sure they'll stay out near as long as I want them to."

"You know, when you invite someone over, you generally don't get to kick them out whenever you feel. Not that you'd know anything about entertaining." Crowley stood up, looking down at him. For a moment, he looked equally as uneasy. "...Cas tasked me with keeping an eye on you and the Hardy boys. I'll probably have to pop in again, sooner than later. Hate to see what the punishment for slacking off is."

"Yeah, yeah... Just fulfillin' your duties, I'm sure. Just as long as you get outta here _now._ "

Crowley's smirk returned to his face. "Goodbye to you too, sweetie. See you soon."

~~~

Sam held the door open as Dean carried the armful of groceries into Bobby's house. He held himself awkwardly, arm crossed over his chest, to avoid his injured hand- It had really began to hurt, the last few days.

Dean set the bags down on the kitchen table, taking out a few things to be put away. Food, and beer, of course. "Well, guess we head back to work, now. Go ask the big guy what he wants us to do, will ya?"

Sam stopped in the doorway. "Don't think we're doing any more work tonight."

The older brother looked at him with a frown. "Why?" He looked to the side to look behind Sam.

On his cluttered desk, Bobby was hunched over an open book. But not reading, as expected. Bobby's cheek was pressed to the spread pages, and he snored softly in his sleep.

Dean frowned. "Huh..."

Sam shuffled. "Are you surprised, really? When's the last time Bobby slept? And to get...that... Dumped on him..."

"Yeah..." Dean muttered. He walked into the library, padding silently with light steps across the carpet. "Must be exhausted. Doubt he's having good dreams tonight..."

"C'mon." Said Sam. "Let's not wake him up." He flicked his head to the side, gesturing toward the kitchen, where Dean followed him to.

The hunters sat down at the table. "Gonna have to look after him... This isn't gonna end well."

"How do you think it's gonna end?" Asked Sam.

"Not good, that's for sure." Dean said with a frown.

Sam pulled a beer from the fresh pack in the plastic bag before them. "But... What if it ends in the... _baby_ sort of way?" He chuckled, nervous and sheepish.

Dean quirked an eyebrow. "You really think that's gonna happen? There's a reason guys aren't running around getting knocked up." He rubbed his face. "No... It's much more likely that it's gonna kill Bobby, if we don't find out what to do..."

"But Cas is kinda... Overseeing him. What if he gets him through it? Then, bam! There's... There's gonna be a kid..."

Dean sighed. "So then there will _be_ a baby. He'll... _Have_ it." 

"How?" Sam countered.

Dean shuddered visibly. "I don't know! Man, I don't wanna think about how the damned thing is gonna come out!"

"Well we gotta, Dean, and we gotta think about what happens after that." The younger brother said.

"What happens is, there will _be_ a kid. And Bobby will give it to someone, or maybe raise it." Dean said. He shrugged and took another drink of his beer.

"I can't see him giving a kid away." Sam shook his head. "But I can't see him raising a kid, either." His hand came up to rub his face. "I just can't believe any of this is happening."

Dean considered it for a moment. "...It definitely is high on our list of crazy. But we get through it. We always do." The blond frowned, leaning in closer to his brother. "But what do you mean, you can't see Bobby raising a kid? He managed with us."

Sam sighed. "But he had us for a week or two at a time, with months, maybe even a year between. Not all the time. And dad helped him... No offense, but on paper, Bobby just doesn't seem up to the task."

"C'mon, man, Bobby was the closest thing a hunter gets to father material. You're just gonna say he doesn't have... Reproductive rights because of the job he works? One he doesn't even wanna be in? Bobby didn't choose this life."

"Maybe if he didn't have to go through the trauma of actually having a kid, when he was never supposed to. And that's still a maybe. This is gonna be hard on him." Sam put up his hands placatingly. "I'm just saying."

"Well, don't." Dean huffed. "Especially since that might not even happen, because Bobby might die."

"So... The safest option is to find a way to get rid of the thing before it even becomes a danger to him."

"And right under Cas's nose, too." Dean shook his head, his face solemn. "God baby-daddy... That's gonna be a tough one to deal with."

Sam nodded. "But we're gonna." He turned to look at the fitfully sleeping hunter in the library. "One way or the other."


End file.
